


Do Not Go Gentle

by Thebonemoose



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Evil Corporations, F/M, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Science Fiction, future setting, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thebonemoose/pseuds/Thebonemoose
Summary: "The walls of the Danh-Ell Industries AISR testing facility were as pristine in King Falls as they were in California. Honestly, it wasn’t like Sammy had expected any differently. When you’ve worked for the same terrifying corporate tech giant for ten years, you get used to uniformity. And signing shady contracts.Sammy huffed, and redid his bun.The similarities between the King Falls branch and the LA branch of Danh-Ell Industries ended with the interior design, however. King Falls’ AISR testing facility was much smaller, although the building itself was still seven stories, by far the tallest thing in town besides the mountain itself. The staff was barebones; Sammy was pretty sure he was one of less than ten Dive Technicians in the entire branch. There were even fewer Divers— just five.In LA, Sammy had enjoyed a comfortable anonymity amidst his thousands of coworkers. In King Falls, he would have no such luck."Sammy arrives in King Falls for his new job, and embarks on a path that would completely derail the course of his life in the best way possible.
Relationships: Ben Arnold & Emily Potter, Ben Arnold & Sammy Stevens, Ben Arnold/Emily Potter, Emily Potter & Sammy Stevens, Jack Wright & Lily Wright, Sammy Stevens/Jack Wright
Comments: 12
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Jeff Bezos, I hate you.   
> That's not relevant to the fic, but it is true nonetheless. 
> 
> Title of the fic is from Dylan Thomas's iconic and admittedly somewhat overused poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night."

The walls of the Danh-Ell Industries AISR testing facility were as pristine in King Falls as they were in California. Honestly, it wasn’t like Sammy had expected any differently. When you’ve worked for the same terrifying corporate tech giant for ten years, you get used to uniformity. And signing shady contracts. 

Sammy huffed, and redid his bun. 

The similarities between the King Falls branch and the LA branch of Danh-Ell Industries ended with the interior design, however. King Falls’ AISR testing facility was much smaller, although the building itself was still seven stories, by far the tallest thing in town besides the mountain itself. The staff was barebones; Sammy was pretty sure he was one of less than ten Dive Technicians in the entire branch. There were even fewer Divers— just five. 

In LA, Sammy had enjoyed a comfortable anonymity amidst his thousands of coworkers. In King Falls, he would have no such luck.

Sammy double tapped his wrist, glancing down to look at the glowing number that appeared above his skin. He was early, for once. That was by design; he didn’t want to make a bad impression on his first day. 

He heard footsteps clicking towards him, and he glanced up just in time to see a woman approaching. She was tall, her hair tied back, and she wore a white coat. A scientist, then. Probably Research and Development, if Sammy had to guess. 

The woman smiled kindly and stopped in front of him. “Hello,” she greeted. “My name is Dr. Potter. You must be Mr. Stevens.” Dr. Potter held out her hand, and Sammy shook it.

“Call me Sammy,” he said with a polite smile. 

“In that case, call me Emily,” she returned, and Sammy’s eyebrows raised slightly. It seemed things were more casual in King Falls. 

“Your Diver isn’t here yet, unfortunately, but I’ll show you to your test chamber, anyways,” Emily said, beckoning for Sammy to join her. She led them down a short series of hexagonal hallways, occasionally pointing to doors as they passed and muttering about what lay behind them. 

Finally she stopped, pressed her hand to the scanner beside the door, and waited as it opened. “I know the King Falls branch is probably much different than you’re used to, but it generally functions the same. The only people keyed into this scanner are you, your Diver, and myself,” Emily explained, and they walked through the open door. “The other dive teams have their own test chambers.”

Inside the test chamber was a large cylindrical tank. The ceiling of that tank had a headset, a breathing apparatus, and a flotation vest, just like all of the tanks Sammy had seen before. 

The test chamber also had a technician’s station, complete with an array of monitors, a desk and chair, and a basic medical station for before and after the dives. 

“Also, before I forget,” Emily said, pivoting on her heel to face Sammy. “Corporate wants us to cut back on Vitality dosages.”

Sammy frowned. “What? They cut dosages back two months ago. Why are they cutting back further?” 

Emily shrugged, her face sympathetic. “I don’t know, but I’m with you. If they cut back any more, pretty soon they’re going to have to ease their divers out of AISRs with the street stuff.” 

“Ugh, black market Vitality is nothing like medical-grade,” Sammy scoffed.

Emily put her hands up. “You don’t have to tell me. Preaching to the choir on that one.” 

Sammy hummed, then furrowed his brows. “Can I ask you something?”

Emily nodded. “As long as it doesn’t violate any of my Non-disclosures, go for it,” she joked.

“How come they sent you to show me around? Why not an orientation guide?”

Emily sighed, looking down. “The short answer to that question is that we don’t have any orientation guides. The slightly longer answer is that we don’t… really have anyone. I know you know King Falls only has eight techs and five divers to speak of. Well, it also has one doctor, me. So I’m technically King Falls’ head of Research and Development, Human Resources, Preliminary Safety Testing, and I’m also the only medical doctor here. At the facility, I mean, not the only medical doctor in King Falls.”

Sammy blinked. “H...how?”

Emily shrugged. “We outsource a lot of the labor, like Preliminary Safety. That’s mostly done in Big Pine.”

“I hope you’re getting paid for all that.”

Emily’s grimace was all the answer he needed.

“Of course you aren’t,” he sighed, and Emily shushed him. 

“I know we’re not as big as the Los Angeles branch, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to watch what you say,” Emily whispered with wide eyes, looking around for prying eyes or ears.

Sammy felt that familiar prickle of paranoia in his spine. He cleared his throat, resisting the urge to check behind him. “Got it,” he said quietly, and Emily exhaled. 

“Oh my god oh my god, I am SO sorry I’m late,” said a voice, and Sammy turned around to see an out of breath teenager leaning against the shiny white walls of the test chamber.

“Oh, you must be Benjamin Arnold,” Emily said with a pleasant smile on her face, all mentions of eavesdroppers forgotten. “My name is Dr. Emily Potter.”

“Hi.” He shook Emily’s hand, a slightly awed expression on his face. Then he shook his head slightly, as if to clear his mind. “And yes, that’s me, but it’s just Ben, actually,” he said, still panting. Sammy got a closer look, and realized he wasn’t as young as Sammy first assumed. He was shorter, but he looked strong, and Sammy would probably guess he was in his mid-twenties.

Emily motioned to Sammy. “This is Samuel Stevens, your Dive Technician.” 

Ben stepped forward and shook Sammy’s hand. “Good to meet you, Samuel,” he smiled, and Sammy had to suppress the urge to grimace.

“Call me Sammy,” he said, and Ben nodded, his breath finally under control. “Have you ever been Diving before?” 

Ben shook his head. “I just graduated, actually. There’s a training program in Big Pine.”

Sammy hummed. “Do you mind if I ask why you didn’t just take a position in Big Pine? They seem…” he frowned. 

“Better in every conceivable way?” Ben asked, amused.

Sammy cast a glance at Emily, who was worrying her lip, once again searching for any intruders to their conversation. “Well, you said it, not me,” he replied, once Emily had relaxed slightly. 

Ben chuckled. “King Falls is my home town. Plus Big Pine has more of an emphasis on the manufacturing process than the AISR Dives. That’s not the kind of work I’m looking for.”

Sammy nodded as if he understood. Emily started walking Ben through the procedures and their safety policies, and Sammy checked out. He’d heard the speech plenty of times over the past decade since he’d joined Dahn-Ell Industries as a technician. 

_Artifical Intelligence Simulated Realities provide entertainment and relaxation for Danh-Ell’s customers, as well as unique learning experiences in the healthcare, military, and private sectors… what-fucking-ever._

There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t regret signing that first contract. At least back then he’d had Jack. Now… well. He didn’t like to think about it.

Emily turned to Sammy. “Well, are you guys ready for your first dive together?”

Ben nodded excitedly, and Sammy allowed a small part of him to be affected by Ben’s enthusiasm.

Emily explained that she would be supervising for the first time, just to ensure everything went smoothly. Sammy nodded; this was pretty standard, in his experience. Ben, however, seemed a bit nervous, although whether that was due to this being his first dive or the presence of Emily, he couldn’t say. 

Sammy immediately went to the technician station, pleased to find the screens displaying the correct information already. Ben followed him, looking a bit listless. 

“Here, Ben, put this over your hair,” Sammy said, grabbing a disposable rubber cap from a caddy beside his desk. Ben frowned, but complied.

“How do I look?” He said, his arms out theatrically.

Sammy pursed his lips, unsure of how truthful he should be. Ben was still a stranger, even if they would be spending a lot of time together in the future. “Kind of… eggy?”

Ben’s jaw dropped. “Eggy?” 

Sammy nodded, grimacing. 

“There’s no way I’m wearing this, Sammy,” Ben said, casting a conspicuous glance to Emily, who was adjusting the display settings on the tank’s monitors. 

“You know that tank doesn’t fill with water, right?”

Ben furrowed his brows. “Of course I know that.” He had the look of someone who did not know that. 

Sammy continued. “It fills with gel. A gel that will harden on your hair. I once had a diver who waited too long after resurfacing to cleanse, and he had to shave his head because the gel solidified.”

Ben grimaced. “Fine. I’ll be eggy. But I won’t be happy about it,” he said, pointing a finger at Sammy. 

“Be as unhappy as you want, as long as it doesn’t keep me from keeping you safe,” Sammy replied, and Ben smiled.

“Aww,” he said.

“Ben, keeping you safe is literally my job,” Sammy replied, although fondness was already creeping into his tone. 

Ben wasn’t fazed. “But you take it seriously,” he said, still grinning.

Sammy shook his head (albeit a bit amusedly) and beckoned Ben over to the medic station. Ben sat on the small cot and Sammy began to prep him for immersion.

“Can I see your forearm?” Sammy asked, and Ben held his arm out. Sammy took three vials from their case, each filled with a different liquid. He upended them against the implants in Ben’s arm until they clicked into place and emptied into his bloodstream.

“Ew, why can I taste metal?” Ben asked after a moment, and Sammy waved an empty vial. 

“It’s the drugs,” he said, deadpan, and Ben snorted. Sammy disposed of the vials in the biohazard receptacle and turned back to Ben. 

“Alright, let me take your vitals,” Sammy told him, and Ben complied. 

“How’s it going?” Emily asked, approaching them. 

Sammy removed the stethoscope from his ears. “Good. How’s the tank?” 

Emily shrugged. “A bit cranky, but she’ll behave.”

Ben snickered.

“Vitals are good. Let’s get you into the suit, and then we’ll disinfect you and throw you in the tank.” 

Ben looked at him. “You don’t mean literally throw, right?”

Sammy shook his head. “Yes,” he answered, and Ben frowned. 

Emily chuckled, and when Ben left to get changed, she turned to Sammy. “Ben’s the only new diver we’ve gotten in the past four years,” she said conversationally.

Sammy raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

She nodded. “He was at the top of his class in Big Pine. That’s part of why I put you two together, actually. You have experience, and he tested well, so I figured…”

“‘What could go wrong?’” Sammy joked.

Emily snorted, then cast a stern glance at Sammy. “Oh, I never ask that question if I can help it,” she told him, although Sammy could see she was trying not to laugh.

“Hey, Sammy?” Ben called from around the corner, where he was changing.

“Yeah?”

“Can you give me a hand?”

“Alright,” Sammy said, and walked towards him. He had to bite his tongue to keep from chuckling when he saw Ben. “Okay, well, your first problem is that you’re wearing it backwards.” He pointed to the diving suit that Ben had struggled to get into. 

Ben groaned. “Are you serious?”

Sammy just nodded. 

Ben sighed, already attempting to reach the zipper on his back. “Alright, well, thanks for your help I guess,” Ben said, and Sammy laughed. 

“No problem, Ben,” he replied as he walked back towards Emily.

She continued from where she left off. “I think the training program in Big Pine focuses more on the AISRs themselves rather than…”

“The Diving process?”

Emily hummed. “Something like that,” she muttered.

Ben emerged a few moments later, his suit fastened correctly. “Alright, disinfect me,” he said to Sammy, and Sammy took Ben to a small stall beside the tank. Ben stood inside, and Sammy placed his hand on the switch.

“You’re gonna want to hold your breath for this,” he warned.

Ben frowned. “Uh… okay.”

Sammy heard Ben inhale, and he turned the switch. He turned it off a few seconds later, and Ben walked out of the shower, exhaling.

“Why did I need to hold my breath?”

Sammy shrugged. “It sucks otherwise. One of my Divers breathed in at the wrong time, got some disinfectant up his nose. He had to go to the infirmary, and Corporate was not happy with the delay,” he explained.

Ben nodded understandingly. 

Sammy led Ben up a set of metal stairs that stopped at a landing at the top of the tank, and Emily watched from below, periodically checking the screens on the glass of the tank. 

“Alright, turn around and lean your head forward, please,” Sammy said, and Ben complied. Sammy ran his fingers along the bones in Ben’s neck. He patted Ben’s shoulder. “Okay, C7 implant feels fine. Take this,” he said, handing Ben a pair of earplugs.

“Do I put them in now?”

“Um… hold off for a second, actually. So do you know more or less what the experience of diving is?”

Ben nodded. “Yeah, I did AISR sims daily in Big Pine.”

“Sure, but as far as what to expect from submergence?”

He shook his head.

Sammy figured that would be the case. “Alright, so when I tell you, you’ll put the earplugs in. Then I’ll fit you with this headset, over your cap. Then goes your breathing mask. We’ve also got the flotation vest, too. Do you want to be tethered to the bottom of the tank or would you rather float?” 

Ben looked overwhelmed. “I think I’d rather float?” 

Sammy nodded. “No problem. It’s important that you know you can’t communicate with us at all when you’re diving. Your mind will be in the AISR, and your body will feel like it’s asleep.”

“Is it like dreaming?”

Sammy thought for a moment. “I think for some, it is. You should also know that Emily and I will be able to communicate with you. We won’t be able to speak with you, but you’ll notice odd writing on walls or signs, and that’ll be us.”

Ben nodded, taking it in. 

“In an emergency situation, we’ll pull you out. That’s dangerous, so we don’t do it unless it’s necessary.”

“How do you know when it’s necessary?” Ben asked, his brows furrowed. 

“We’re monitoring your vitals and your response to things, so it's based on those. Or if there’s a fire drill, or something,” Sammy explained. “Alright, that’s all I need to tell you, you can put your earplugs in now.”

Ben did so, and Sammy fitted him with the headset and breathing mask. He helped Ben shrug into the flotation vest, then Sammy unfurled a rope ladder and had Ben climb down into the empty tank. Sammy climbed down after, double checking the equipment, and giving one last smile to Ben.

“Tank filling in five,” Sammy said after he’d returned to the technician’s desk. Ben startled as the greenish gel started pouring into the tank, but quickly grew accustomed to it. 

The tank was filled to the top shortly after. “AISR immersion commencing now.” 

Ben jerked at the moment of immersion, and his floating body went still. Sammy monitored his vitals closely. Everything was normal, so Sammy sat back in his chair, glancing every so often at the lines of code that scrolled across one of his monitors.

“You’re good at your job,” Emily said at his side, and he looked up.

“Oh,” he said, his brow furrowed. “Thanks.”

“I mean, I didn’t expect any differently, especially because of how long you’ve been doing this, but you really are a great technician.”

Sammy ducked his head. “I appreciate that.”

Ben’s dive lasted for an hour and a half— the standard time. Sammy gently eased him out of the AISR and back into reality. The tank emptied, and Sammy set the foldable ladder down into the tank again. He climbed down, ignoring the gel that stuck to the bottom of his shoes.

He took the vest off of Ben, then the breathing apparatus, then the headset. He motioned for Ben to keep the earplugs in, and Ben nodded, although Sammy wasn’t sure exactly how much he understood. 

They climbed out of the tank, and Sammy ran the sterilization cycle once the ladder was removed. 

He and Ben walked down to the shower stall again, and Sammy turned it on so Ben could wash the gel off himself. 

He emerged grinning. “That was awesome!” He yelled, and Sammy motioned for him to take the ear plugs out. “Oh, sorry,” he laughed.

“Good first dive?” Sammy asked, and Ben nodded emphatically.

“Can I take the cap off?” Ben asked, pointing to his head. 

“Yeah. Take the suit off, too. There should be a bin in the changing area to put them in when you’re done.”

Ben left, and Sammy went back to his desk, where Emily sat.

“He did very well,” Emily commented. “I’m a bit surprised. I think Ben’s a natural.”

Sammy nodded, looking towards the changing area. “I do too,” he mused. 

Sammy prepared the Vitality, ignoring the impulse to give Ben a higher dose against Corporate’s wishes. 

Ben returned, and Sammy had him sit on the cot. “Alright, do you know any other languages besides English?” Sammy asked.

Ben Furrowed his brow. “I took Spanish in college,” he said, confused and Sammy shrugged. 

“That’ll do. Count backwards from ten in Spanish.” 

“Um… Diez, nueve, ocho, siete— OW, fuck!” Ben cried his hand flinging to the injection sight on his neck. He looked at Sammy, betrayed. 

Sammy set the empty syringe down. “Sorry. The first one’s the hardest. For future dives, we can use your arm implants.”

Ben grumbled.

“Okay, you should probably go with Emily and debrief, because that Vitality’s going to hit you quick,” Sammy said. 

Vitality at first glance was ironically named. It was given to divers after each dive to protect their brains after the completely immersive AISR experience. Something to do with brain chemistry and synapses, Sammy thought. Its effects were most severe to those with no tolerance, naturally. Ben would probably get very tired very quickly, then he’d get a few good hours of sleep. He’d likely wake up hungry and restless, but his emotional and mental state would be excellent until it wore off. 

More experienced divers wouldn’t have such extreme reactions. Jack never did, anyways. He would be sleepy after dives, but he was always able to power through.

Sammy turned his attention back to Emily. She was giving him directions to his bunk before she took Ben to debrief. He nodded, and watched them leave. Sammy put the computers to sleep and watched the lights flicker off, then he set out to find his room. 

He’d forgotten to apply for solitary housing prior to his transfer, and by the time he remembered it was already too late. It was likely King Falls didn’t have many options for on-base solitary living, anyways. He just hoped his roommate wasn’t annoying. 

His new home was a decent size for two people. There were bunks on separate sides of the room, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small table. Not much privacy, but it was Danh-Ell, so that was to be expected. 

His roommate hadn’t moved in yet, Sammy assumed. Neither of the beds were claimed, and the room had no signs of being lived-in. Sammy tossed his bag on the bed closest to the door, and went to find some food. 

The fridge was stocked with a few fruits and veggies, as well as some gray, unappetizing meal-replacement smoothies. He grabbed an apple and sat on his bed, his mind drifting back to Jack. 

It had been so quick. Sammy had no time to process it before he was informed of the transfer, without anyone answering any of his questions about Jack and his sudden absence. 

All because of those fucking AISRs, and this fucking company. 

The door slid open, and Sammy turned his head. Ben came through, waving at someone behind him. 

“Bye, Dr. Potter!”

Well, that solved that mystery. 

Ben turned around, his eyes widening as they landed on Sammy. “Sammy! Are you my roommate?”

Sammy grinned. “It sure seems that way,” he replied, and Ben smiled.

“Cool... We have food?” Ben asked, looking at Sammy’s apple. Sammy nodded, pointing to the fridge. Ben grabbed himself a package of baby carrots and sat cross-legged on the vacant bed, facing Sammy. 

“How was your debriefing?”

Ben shrugged. “It was okay. I mean, I’ve never done one before, so I have no way of knowing what’s good and what’s bad. Plus, you know. AISR training focuses mainly on what to do once you’re already inside-- recognizing the patterns and signs of a faulty simulation.”

Sammy hummed. “DEI seems to be a fan of on-the-job training for most things.”

Ben snorted. “Yeah, you could say that again.” He bit into a carrot. “Do you like King Falls so far?”

Sammy exhaled. “Well, today’s my first day here. So the only knowledge of the town is what I saw on the drive up. But I mean, that was all lovely.”

“It’s a good town. We should go out on our day off. Only if you want to, though,” Ben rushed to add, and Sammy chuckled. 

“That sounds great, Ben.”

Ben beamed, and Sammy felt something twist in his gut. He was so _genuine_. Sammy had only just met the man, and Ben was already invested in their potential for friendship. 

Ben yawned, and Sammy raised an eyebrow. 

“You tired?”

“No,” Ben replied petulantly, then yawned again. 

He chuckled. “That’s the Vitality. You should probably rest.”

“I don’t know how likely it is that I’ll even sleep, Sammy. I have a weird sleep schedule.”

“Something tells me that won’t be an issue.”

Ben did not look convinced, but he put the carrots away and laid down, anyways. 

“What time is it?” Ben asked, and Sammy looked at his wrist. 

“Almost four.”

“Damn, I was supposed to call my mom.”

“Call her when you wake up. You’ll feel better then, anyways.”

Ben mumbled something, his eyes closed. Sammy chuckled, and settled in to read while Ben slept. 

Ben did end up calling his mother after his nap, which lasted for almost two hours. He woke up as chipper and starving as Sammy had predicted, then stepped in the hallway to chat with his mom for a while. When he came back in, he clapped his hands together excitedly and looked at Sammy. 

“So! Any dinner plans, Sammy?”

Sammy shook his head, an amused smirk dancing on his lips. “Nope,” he answered, and Ben grinned. 

“Care to accompany me to the cafeteria?”

Sammy shrugged. “Why not?” he put his reading screen down and stretched, then slipped on his sneakers and joined Ben. 

Ben rambled for the entire walk, although Sammy didn’t mind. It was nice to get to know him more, and Ben made it astoundingly easy, frankly. They purchased their meals at the small room that was the King Falls branch cafeteria, and set about looking for somewhere to eat. 

“I don’t really want to go back to the room, do you?” Ben asked, biting his lip.

“I’m fine either way,” Sammy replied unhelpfully, and Ben rolled his eyes. 

“Ooh, let’s go outside!” 

Sammy stared. “Ben, it’s February.”

“It’ll be fine. We won’t be out there for too long, anyways. If it’s too cold, we’ll go back inside, alright?” 

Sammy was skeptical, but he agreed.

It turned out that Sammy was correct. It was, of course, incredibly cold outside and neither of them had brought jackets. 

“Ben, let’s go inside.”

“N-no,” Ben said, shivering. He continued eating his cold sandwich. 

“Ben, it is literally freezing. There is snow on the ground. The sun is setting, even!”

“It’s t-totally fi-ine.”

Sammy narrowed his eyes. “Emily’s going to get mad at us if we both show up for work tomorrow morning sick.”

Ben glanced at him, and Sammy saw a crack in Ben’s resolve. 

“She might even refuse to see us until we’re healthy, so she doesn’t get sick herself. That’s a shame, really, because she seems like such a great person--”

Ben caved. “OKAY! Okay. Let’s go inside.”

Sammy grinned, and led them back inside. The heating thawed them almost immediately, and soon the goosebumps on Ben’s skin disappeared. He took another bite of his sandwich. “No picnics in February, yeah?”

Ben huffed, but agreed. They walked back to their room, still eating. 

“I know it’s probably bad for you to eat and walk, but I have trouble sitting still when I eat anyways. So this gets two birds stoned at once,” Ben said easily.

Sammy stopped. “It _what_?”

“What? Oh, the two birds things? It’s this old expression.” Ben waved his hand dismissively. 

He looked at Ben incredulously. “No, I know that. But you said ‘get two birds stoned at once’. That is not a thing.’”

“What are you talking about?” 

“The expression is ‘kill two birds with one stone’.”

Ben gawked. “That’s horrible, why would anyone do that?”

Sammy blinked. “Why would anybody try to get birds stoned?”

Ben shrugged. “I don’t know!”

Sammy shook his head, and they kept walking. 

Ben was silent for a moment. “Is that really the expression?”

Sammy nodded. 

“Wow. How did I get that so wrong?” he laughed, and Sammy couldn’t help but chuckle along with. 

They arrived at their room, and finished what little was left of their dinners. Sammy got ready for bed while Ben disposed of their trash, and then they shared the bathroom as they brushed their teeth. 

Sammy ignored how familiar it was; standing beside someone, making eye contact in the mirror and flashing the other an exaggerated expression, toothpaste dripping from their mouth. 

How many times had Jack and he done exactly the same? 

Sammy ignored the guilt in his chest as he spat and rinsed. He felt like he was betraying Jack, simply by being here with him, doing the domestic things he had done with Jack. Eating dinner, sharing a living space. Innocent things. 

But Sammy had never done that with anyone else. Before Jack had been his boyfriend, he’d been his best friend. What would Jack say, if he could see Sammy?

Probably, “Stop overthinking. You’re going to give yourself a headache.”

Sammy allowed himself a moment of comfort at the thought, then got in his bed and turned off his light. Ben emerged from the bathroom a moment later and did the same, pulling up his blankets. 

“Goodnight, Sammy,” Ben said in the darkness. 

Sammy let out a breath. “Goodnight, Ben.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sammy and Ben get into the swing of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I am here and so is chapter 2. 
> 
> Fun fact: the inspiration for this fic came from my brother purchasing an oculus quest and never taking it off and also the song "hand me my shovel, I'm going in" by will wood and the tapeworms. How those came together to create this I couldn't really say, but they did.

Ben and Sammy fell into a routine easily. Get up, eat breakfast, take a look at their schedules, prep for diving. Ben was adjusting well to the dives, so their schedules lately had been filled with two or three sessions every work day. 

Doing the same thing day in and day out was not new to Sammy, though it was as mind-numbing as it always was. The work of technicians was clinical, impersonal. Just data on a screen and scrolling lines of code. Pulse, respiratory rate, body temperature, etc. At least the divers got to experience things.

Ben made it bearable, even enjoyable. Just like Jack used to. 

Sometimes, Ben’s excitement for diving reminded Sammy so much of Jack it made him feel sick. Ben was bright, and vibrant, and he had his whole life ahead of him. He didn’t need this company dragging him down, and he certainly didn’t need Sammy doing the same. 

(Sammy would lay in bed at night, thinking about Danh-Ell Industries, and what this company had taken from Sammy. What it had taken from countless others; people who’d signed the same malicious contract Sammy had, people who’d had family members and loved ones ripped from them by the faceless, clinical body of DEI. Sammy would fall asleep to the thought of taking a sledgehammer to all the delicate, fragile instruments in the building. 

He’d never do it, though. Danh-Ell is too good at making dissenters disappear. 

Too good at making _anyone_ disappear.)

“Hey,” Ben said, sliding onto the bench beside Sammy. 

He nodded in reply, his mouth full of oatmeal. “Hey,” he responded after swallowing. 

Ben started peeling his orange, setting the peels in a pile on his lap. “What are you doing today?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, read. Go for a walk maybe.”

Ben rolled his eyes and nudged Sammy with his elbow. “Come on, it’s a day off. Let’s do something fun.”

Ben and Sammy had been spending most of their time together of late. Sammy didn’t mind. Ben had the uncanny ability of making Sammy feel like a person and not a trainwreck masquerading in human skin. 

He raised an eyebrow. “Like what?” 

Ben shrugged. It made him look boyish. “Let’s go into town. Maybe we can drag Emily into joining us.”

Sammy studied Ben. Ben had gotten much more familiar with the good doctor over the weeks, and Sammy privately figured it was only a matter of time before one of them asked the other out. “She’s probably busy, Ben,” Sammy replied gently. 

“Yeah, probably, but it can’t hurt to ask.”

Fair. 

Ben did indeed ask, and Emily spared a glance to her watch, frowning. “What time?”

“Whenever you’re free,” Sammy answered, standing awkwardly beside Ben. He felt a little bit like a kid who got called up to the teacher’s desk. 

Emily grinned. ‘Um… okay, yeah. How does one sound? I can only do a few hours, though.”

Ben smiled. “That works! Uh, see you then, I guess,” he said, ducking his head. 

“Cool,” Emily replied, excitement clear on her face. 

Ben nodded at Emily, and then he didn’t stop nodding. Sammy decided he should put a stop to this borderline awkward display before Ben embarrassed himself, and wrapped an arm around Ben’s shoulders. 

“Well! We’ll see you at one, Em.”

She gave them a quick wave, and Sammy led Ben out of Emily’s office. 

“That was painful, Ben. Your crush on Emily is _really_ not subtle,” Sammy said when they were in the hallway. 

Ben spluttered. “Crush? No, I don’t have a crush.”

Sammy leveled him with a look. “You are literally fooling nobody. Not a single person has been fooled.”

“She’s my colleague! And sort of my boss, if you think about it. I just… want to be friends,” Ben defended, crossing his arms. 

Sammy exhaled, his eyes narrowed. “Again, fooling nobody.”

Ben scoffed and kept walking. “Whatever, Sammy. Just wait until _you_ meet somebody. We’ll see who’s obvious then.”

Sammy swallowed thickly, his body forgetting to fall into step beside Ben or breathe or do anything that wasn’t freeze entirely, consumed by the grief he’d been trying desperately to cope with or push away or _something_.

Ben turned, a quizzical expression on his face. “You good, man?”

Sammy nodded, plastered a fake smile on his face. “Yep,” he said, his mouth dry. He forced himself to catch up to Ben, and Ben didn’t say anything more, though he did look at Sammy strangely for a moment. 

Ben decided to use the gym for a while to kill time, and Sammy went back to their room to read, though his mind was still occupied with thoughts of Jack. He tried to focus on the words displayed on the screen in his hands, but he ended up reading the same sentence over and over, his mind replaying the moment he’d come into their test chamber to see anonymous scientists wheeling him away on a stretcher, headset still firmly attached. 

The abject horror Sammy had felt twisting in his abdomen, the sudden and brutal knowledge that something was wrong with Jack, and these strange people were taking him away from Sammy-- it marked him. Sammy was now a man with something missing, a piece that had been violently ripped away. It was cruel. 

And all because-- what? Because Jack didn’t want to leave well enough alone? Because Jack had a strange reaction to an AISR _one time_ , and then he let it consume him. He kept telling Sammy that something was _wrong_. That AISRs weren’t what everyone thought they were.

But Sammy didn’t listen, because Danh-Ell scared the shit out of him, and bad things would happen if they looked too closely, if they dug a little deeper than they were supposed to. 

He should’ve stopped Jack. He should have convinced him, somehow. He should have done _more_. Maybe if he had, Jack would still be with him, instead of trapped wherever DEI puts its rejects. 

Sammy heaved a deep sigh and scrubbed his face with his hand. He was tired. Weary. He felt like he was treading water, but he could only do that for so long before his body gave up, and he drowned. 

The door opened, and Sammy did his best to compose himself before Ben saw him. 

“Hey,” he said to Sammy, breathing heavily. He wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and grabbed some clothes.

“Hey,” Sammy replied, hoping Ben didn’t notice that Sammy was barely keeping it together. 

Ben showered without another word to Sammy, and when he came out he checked the time on his wrist. “It’s almost one. You ready?”

Sammy swallowed, and nodded. He stood and put his hair up, then followed Ben out into the hall. Ben was chatty on the way to Emily’s office, which Sammy appreciated. All he had to do was hum and nod at the appropriate times, and Ben did the rest. 

Emily was ready when they came for her, and the trio walked out of the facility and out to Emily’s car. “I technically live in town, but I’ve got a cot in my office where I crash more often than not,” she explained as she unlocked the doors.

The drive down the mountain was quick, and Emily relied on the self-driving feature to take them to their destination. It was spring, but winter continued to cling to King Falls, reluctant to relinquish its hold. 

“Where should we go?” Emily asked once the car was parked in a lot downtown. 

Ben suggested lunch, and nobody had any objections, so that was what they did. As it turned out, little Benny Arnold was a bit of a celebrity in King Falls, given that random people would occasionally come up to him and speak to him about diving and Danh-Ell Industries and other things that made Sammy want to dunk his face in his bowl of broccoli-cheddar soup. 

Ben was good about it, of course, and eventually his friends or acquaintances or whomever those people were stopped interrupting their meal. They walked around for a while afterwards, and Sammy let himself relax, just spending time with Emily and Ben. 

In the process of hanging out with Ben, he’d forgotten, just for a little bit, about Jack. When he remembered, the guilt flooded him so absolutely that he stumbled a bit, and Ben glanced up at him concerned. 

“Are you alright?”

_No. I’ve never been less alright._

“I’m fine, my ankle twisted,” Sammy lied, and Ben accepted that easily enough. He did catch Emily looking at him, concern etched in the lines of her face. She didn’t say anything, and Sammy continued to pretend that nothing was the matter. 

Sammy did try to have a good time with Ben and Emily. At times, he did, although they were quickly soured with the memory of Jack, and the guilt of allowing himself a reprieve from the grief when Jack would very likely get no such break. 

When they returned, Emily and Ben were discussing eating dinner together, but Sammy made an excuse about feeling tired, and wanting to go to bed early. 

He did fall asleep before long, curled up on his side and staring blankly into the darkness of their room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Sammy have a discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting schedule is gonna be wack for a few days but not to worry I’ll add several chapters at a time when I can

Ben emerged from the changing area, running a hand through his hair. Sammy smiled easily at him, putting the equipment in standby as they prepared to finish their shift. It had been a long one; Ben did three dives today, and the duration of each was over ninety minutes. 

“Ready?” Sammy asked, and Ben nodded, although his brow was furrowed. He didn’t seem his usual cheerful self, although Sammy supposed that was understandable. Divers usually wouldn’t debrief after every dive unless there was a particularly difficult one, or if they had done several in one day. Sammy wouldn’t be surprised if Ben skipped out on dinner together in favor of spending the evening venting in Emily’s office. 

Sammy and Ben started to walk towards the door of the chamber, but Ben stopped suddenly, his hand on Sammy’s arm. Sammy looked at him, and found Ben frowning, his mouth open like he was about to say something. Ben closed his mouth with a small sigh, then smiled, although it was thin and flaking at the edges. He shook his head, and started walking. 

Sammy stared after him a moment. Maybe there _was_ something wrong.

When they got to their room, Ben crashed almost immediately. Sammy was obviously not surprised, and he set about cooking a hearty meal for when he awoke. Once Ben eventually came to, he stumbled to the table and had two big servings. He also drank straight from the faucet in the sink, which Sammy considered making fun of him for, but didn’t. 

Ben seemed to feel more like a person after looking after himself, and he gave Sammy a gentle smile as he took his plate to wash their dishes. Ben cleaned up, then joined Sammy, who had migrated to his bunk. 

“Hey, Sammy?” Ben asked uncertainly, sitting on his bed. 

Sammy looked up expectantly. 

“Can we talk?”

Sammy’s pulse picked up immediately. He clenched his hands, trying to ignore the sweat that had begun to bead up on his palms. He nodded. 

Ben sighed. “Um… I guess firstly, I just want you to know that you’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I know it’s only been a few months since we met, but I… I feel like I’ve known you forever, man,” Ben said, and Sammy felt fondness bubble up in between all the spikes of anxiety. 

“But I also… I’ve noticed sometimes you just get really… _scared_. And I never know why. Or sometimes you’ll tense up, like you’re on guard, or you'll kind of… check out, I guess?”

Sammy swallowed thickly. 

Ben continued. “It seems like you’re… reliving something.”

Sammy’s eyes slid closed, his hands clenched into tight fists in his lap. 

“And I’m not saying this to try to force you to talk to me about anything,” Ben said. “You don’t have to say a thing, okay? I just… I want you to know that I’m not judging you, I care about you, and if you _do_ decide you want to talk to someone… I’m here. I’m willing to listen, if you choose.”

Sammy gathered up the courage to meet Ben’s eyes, and was taken aback by what he saw. Ben was naturally a genuine person, but Sammy had not been prepared for Ben’s emotions to be written so plainly on his face. 

Sammy wanted _so badly_ to reach out, to open his mouth and tell Ben everything. But he just… couldn’t. Something stopped him. Sammy nodded, gave a weak smile, and said something about going for a walk. 

“Okay,” Ben replied easily, and he didn’t seem at all disappointed that Sammy didn’t choose to talk to him. 

In any case, Sammy had to process. 

The hallway was empty, as it almost always was, and Sammy wandered for a while, trying to make sense of the thoughts in his head. 

Ben and Sammy had gotten closer, and Sammy was thankful for it. He appreciated Ben more than Ben knew, possibly more than he would ever know. 

Ben… he wasn’t devoted to the company. He loved diving, which was the only reason he even worked for Danh-Ell. Ben Arnold was not the type of person to support a company over the lives that company had harmed. 

Could Sammy tell him? Ben would do his best to understand, that much Sammy was sure of. Ben would not rat him out to DEI, or anyone else. The scariest thing about all this was that Sammy had to be vulnerable. And if Ben had taught him anything, that wasn’t reason enough not to do something. 

Sammy made his way back to their room, resolve hardening in his chest. 

“Can I talk?” Sammy asked, and Ben looked up, surprised. He nodded wordlessly, and Sammy sat on his bed, looking nervously at Ben, who waited patiently. 

Sammy shook his head, then rushed to the bathroom to turn the shower and the fan on. He turned on some loud music, and then went back to his spot on the bed. 

“What?” Ben asked, over the music. “What’s going on?”

“So nobody will hear,” Sammy justified. Ben was wide-eyed, but he accepted that easily enough. 

“Before I was here, I was in LA. The facility there is huge, you could go years and never meet all your coworkers,” he explained. “And I did. The diver I was with-- we were together for a decade. His name is Jack Wright. And…” Sammy pulled a chain out from underneath the collar of his shirt, and a golden ring dangled from it. “We’re engaged.”

Ben‘s eyes widened. 

“A few months before I transferred, Jack was diving, and I was getting some… slightly worrying signs from him. No big spikes or anything, nothing dangerous, just abnormal. I let him finish the dive, and he seemed physically alright afterwards.”

Ben was listening with rapt attention, and Sammy took a breath. “That dive, we were testing some new equipment. It was supposed to provide a more full AISR experience-- I don’t know, they didn’t give us much information.” He bit his lip. “Something about that prototype interfered with Jack’s C7 implant,” he explained. “I noticed it after the dive. I wanted him to see a doctor to get it checked out, but neither of us trusted DEI, of course. So he convinced me it would be fine to leave it until we could get off the facility to see a doctor that _wasn’t_ employed by the shadiest company to ever mistreat its employees.”

“What happened?” Ben asked.

“Jack was distant, after that. We never did see that doctor, and he was belligerently insistent that I let him dive anyways. I did, and his work was fine, but mentally, he… He was consumed with something. Some mystery he was determined to solve. He said he’d figured out what the AISRs… were.”

Ben frowned. 

“I thought--” Sammy broke off with a mirthless laugh. “I don’t know what I thought. I figure, C7 is pretty close to the brain, right? Maybe this was his way of coping with brain damage. It sounds so stupid to say, but that’s how I rationalized his behavior, his newfound obsession with AISRs.

“But it wasn’t just AISRs in general, Ben. He was obsessed with one AISR in particular. The one he’d been in when I got the weird readings. When his C7 implant malfunctioned. He called it ‘the Void’.”

Ben frowned, processing this. 

“He would leave in the middle of the night, and go do solitary dives.”

“What?!” Ben exclaimed, his eyes wide. “That’s so dangerous!”

Sammy just nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “The only way I found out is because he was too loud one night, and he woke me up. He lied to me about where he was going, but eventually his behavior made me suspicious enough, and I followed him. I pulled him out of the dive immediately, and he was… well, pissed.”

Across from him, Ben ran his hand through his hair and then steepled his fingers in front of his face, his brow furrowed. 

“He got better at sneaking around, and he kept going on solitary dives. Always to the same AISR.” Sammy took a moment to compose himself in preparation for his next sentence. “One night, I found him on a dive alone, and I tried to pull him out, but I couldn’t. He was stuck. In the AISR. In the Void.”

“What? How is that possible?”

Sammy shrugged. “I barely had time to understand what happened before a series of white coats took him away. They wheeled him out of the room on a stretcher, and avoided my questions. I was herded to a-- basically an interrogation room, where they drilled me for several hours and ignored me when I asked about Jack.”

Ben looked at Sammy, heartbroken. “Sammy, I-- I’m so sorry,” he said sincerely, and Sammy managed a small smile. 

“They made me transfer. I chose King Falls.”

“And… there’s nothing that can be done?”

Sammy shook his head sadly. “I have no legal recourse. We signed a contract,” he sighed, and Ben looked sick. 

“Sammy… I am so sorry,” Ben said sincerely. 

Sammy shrugged. There really was nothing to be done. Still, Sammy appreciated Ben for listening, and for being his friend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily finds out about Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired! But a promise is a promise.   
> (whether or not I actually made a promise is irrelevant.)
> 
> Two chapters coming right up, fresh from whatever the equivalent to 'the press' is. It doesn't matter. Here;s some fic, bon appetit.

In hindsight, Sammy and Ben were, perhaps, a little careless. 

They generally were very cautious of when and where they discussed Sammy’s past, and--- thanks to Ben’s genuine good-heartedness-- they discussed it fairly often. On one such occasion, they were in the cafeteria, speaking in muted tones. There was almost no one else in the entire room, and Sammy had _thought_ he and Ben were being discreet. 

Their conversation wasn’t long, and after a short while Ben announced that he was going back to their room for a nap. Sammy nodded easily. He debated having a nap himself, or at least laying down and closing his eyes-- though in the end he decided against it. 

“Enjoy your nap,” Sammy said with a smile.Ben clucked his tongue and gave Sammy the finger guns. 

Sammy took a sip of his tea and watched his friend leave, suppressing a grin. There wasn’t a day that went by that Sammy wasn’t grateful to have met him. 

Ben was hardly out the door before his seat was taken. Sammy’s eyes widened, and Emily stared back at him, her expression unreadable. It didn’t take him long before his worst fear was confirmed. 

She’d heard them. She’d heard everything. They should have been more careful. 

Emily leaned in slightly. “Tomorrow at eight, meet me at the entrance of the hiking trail in Perdition Wood. Bring Ben. Don’t be late.” She spoke quickly, her tone even and low. Sammy held his breath. 

Emily cast a quick glance around the room, then reached out her hand and placed it on top of Sammy’s. She squeezed once, then stood and walked out. 

His heart thundered in his chest, and it continued to do so even after she left. He took a shuddering breath and scrubbed his face with his hands, then left the cafeteria as inconspicuously as he could.

Emily wouldn’t rat them out, would she? She could’ve just gone straight to corporate instead of letting Sammy know she knew about Jack. Why did she want to meet with them? To blackmail Sammy? But they were friends. Surely Emily wasn’t capable of that.

Right?

Sammy sighed. He knew better than to assume that. After all, anyone could be capable of anything, if driven far enough. _Even_ someone as kind as Emily. 

When he got to the room, he nudged Ben awake. 

“What?” Ben grunted, still half asleep. 

“Emily knows.”

Ben squinted up at Sammy. “Knows what?” he asked, rubbing his face. 

Sammy let out a shaky breath, his hand tugging anxiously at his scalp. “She _knows._ about… you know.”

Ben sat up, alarmed. “Like, she _knows_ knows?”

Sammy nodded. 

He gaped. “How? What did she say?”

“She overheard, I guess,” Sammy said helplessly. “She wants us to go hiking with her tomorrow.”

Ben frowned. “Is that… Is that like a euphemism?”

Sammy swallowed. “No, she actually wants us to meet her at a hiking trail in Perdition Wood. ’Eight AM, don’t be late.’’

Ben furrowed his brow, apparently thinking this over. “So-- what, you want to go?”

He bit his lip. “What choice do we have?”

Ben’s eyes widened. “You don’t seriously think she’d tell?”

Sammy shrugged weakly. “I don’t know, Ben. I want to think she wouldn’t but… It’s possible.”

Ben reached out a hand. “Dude, come on--”

Sammy turned away. “Look, I don’t know. I just… I need to hear what she has to say.”

Ben sighed. “Alright,” Sammy heard from behind him. “I’m with you.”

Before dawn, the boys awoke and got dressed. Ben drove them to Perdition Wood, and they were waiting at the entrance to the hiking trail by seven-fifty.

Emily met them there at eight, nodding a greeting. Sammy eyed her tensely, although Ben did say a quiet ‘hello.’

She wrung her hands, shifting her weight slightly from foot to foot. Sammy just waited expectantly. “Let’s… let’s start on the trail,” she said. 

Sammy put a hand out in an ‘after you’ sort of motion, so Emily stepped forward first. The trail was not very wide, forcing them to walk in single file, with Ben at the rear. The morning was cool, and dew still clung to the grass and leaves. Sammy would have appreciated the crisp air and early morning sunlight if he wasn’t trying to determine whether or not his friend was betraying him. 

“I’m not going to tell anyone,” Emily said suddenly, stopping in the middle of the trail. Sammy almost bowled right into her, but he caught himself at the last second, and he looked at her, anticipatory. 

She exhaled, playing with her hands. “I… I wanted to talk to you both away from DEI because I’m feeding information to an outside group. T-the goal of which,” she explained, “is to take down Danh-Ell Industries.”

Sammy’s brows raised. 

She faced him fully. “You’re not the only person DEI has hurt, Sammy, and you’re not the only person looking for answers. I’d like to know more about-- about Jack. And about what happened to you. If you’re willing to tell me, that is.” Emily looked at Sammy, nervousness clear on her face. 

Sammy took a breath. He didn’t need to debate with himself, or mull it over. This was Emily. He had been right about her. “I’ll tell you,” he said quietly, and she gave him a small smile. Ben hadn’t spoken, but he did take Sammy’s hand for a moment and squeezed. 

They sat on a downed tree by the side of the trail, and Sammy explained his past with Jack, and the C7 implant malfunction, and the AISR Jack had become obsessed with. He finished his explanation with the description of Jack as he was wheeled away; his body still and unmoving, the headset still covering his eyes. 

“I have yet to receive any answers,” he finished. 

Emily looked at him sadly, and Sammy had to force himself to look away from the compassion in her gaze. He couldn’t fall apart here. Not in front of Emily and Ben. 

“Sammy, I think I can help you,” Emily told him, after a moment.

Sammy looked at her, eyes wide. He didn’t dare to hope. “H-how?” he asked brokenly, his fingers digging into the half-rotted tree bark beneath him. Flakes of it came apart in his hands. 

“My group,” she said. “They have resources, information. We could get to LA, sneak Jack out of the facility there. Get him help.”

Sammy tore his eyes away from hers. He looked up to the foliage and let her words settle on his skin. Could he really get Jack back?

“How exactly would it work?” Ben asked, saving Sammy the difficulty of formulating speech at a time like this. He always seemed to know when Sammy couldn’t speak-- when he needed Ben to speak for him. 

“I’d contact my group. They would arrange for travel for the three of us, find a way to get us into the facility in LA. If they had any information relevant to Jack, they’d give that to us, too.”

“How soon?” Ben followed up. 

She shook her head. “I don’t know. It all depends on the facility’s schedule. Whenever they’re most vulnerable. When they’re not looking.”

Ben opened his mouth to speak again, but Sammy quieted him with a hand on his wrist. “Okay,” he said. “Contact your people. Let’s get him back.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan is set in motion, and Sammy encounters an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a man of my word apparently. A tired man of my word. And not even a man, so just a tired of my word. Am I making sense? 
> 
> No <3

“Wake up,” Emily said, pulling Sammy from his sleep. “It’s time.”

The weariness that lingered around him was dispelled in an instant, his brain finally catching up to Emily. She was leaning over Ben, whispering to him. Sammy turned his gaze away, focusing instead on getting ready. They had to be quick. 

Sammy and Ben took the bags they had stowed away, and followed Emily out of their room. She led them through the labyrinth of hexagonal corridors, and finally out of the back door of the King Falls branch of Danh-Ell. It was still dark outside. 

She drove them to a clinic in King Falls, and ushered them quickly in. It was an old building, the interior outdated and cramped. 

Waiting inside under the sickly yellow overhead light was a woman with blondish hair. She wore scrubs, and appraised Sammy and Ben with an impassive face. 

“Hey, Mary,” Emily said, a bit breathless. Mary nodded in reply. She turned to the boys. 

“Follow me,” she said. Sammy, Ben, and Emily followed Mary to the back of the clinic, into a room that was likely a poor imitation of an operating theater. 

“I need to remove your C7 implant,” Emily explained to Ben. She removed her coat and rolled the sleeves of her shirt up, then tied her hair back and washed her hands. She donned an apron and a pair of gloves, and Ben sat nervously as he waited for her and Mary to finish preparing for the surgery. 

“You’re putting me under, right?” Ben asked. There was a slight tremble in his voice.

Mary shook her head. “No. Don’t worry, we’ll still give you localized anesthesia.” She instructed Ben to lay down on his stomach, and Mary put a cap on his hair and prepared his neck. 

“Should I… go?” Sammy asked. He was slowly realizing that Ben was about to be opened up right in front of him.

Emily shrugged. “It’s up to you,” she said behind a mask. 

He waited by the door, just in case. 

Once Mary was also ready for surgery, they numbed Ben (a process which he rambled through) and made an incision. 

“Can I talk? Is it going to bother you? I’m really nervous,” Ben rambled. 

“You can talk,” Emily replied, her voice distracted. All her focus was on the task at hand, and not causing damage to the man on the table in front of her. 

“Did you… cut me?” Ben asked. 

“Yup,” Sammy said, his stomach turning at the blood shining on Emily’s scalpel. 

“What does it look like?”

Sammy stifled a groan. “Looks gross,” he replied. 

“Damn.”

“Okay, I need you to be quiet now, Benny. Close your eyes and count backwards from 91.”

Ben silenced himself, and for several moments the only sound in the room was Emily’s low murmurs to Mary, and then the metallic click of forceps, and finally the clatter of the implant in the metal emesis basin. 

“Okay, the hard part’s done. Let me stitch you up, and we’ll be good to go,” Emily said at last, and Ben let out a loud exhale. 

“I was so nervous,” Ben admitted in a rush. 

“Really? That’s it? That was quick,” Sammy remarked. Emily shrugged. 

Mary did the sutures, so Emily took the C7 implant over to Sammy, rattling it slightly in its container. “Wanna see?”

Sammy grimaced and shook his head. Emily chuckled slightly, and didn’t show it to Sammy. She did, however, show it to Ben, when he was done. 

“The tracker is this part here,” Emily explained, pointing with her pinky to a spot on the implant. 

“How did I miss that?” Ben asked, incredulously eyeing the bloody implant. 

“Lots of people do. Nobody wants to read the fine print, which is what Danh-Ell is banking on.”

Ben was given some meds and a meal, then Emily drove them to the Big Pine train station. They would take the high-speed rail to California, a five hour trip. There, they would meet up with one of Lily’s contacts, who would escort them down into a tunnel system underneath LA. From then, they would enter the DEI facility. 

Emily left Sammy and Ben sitting on a bench at the train station while she went to buy their tickets. 

“How are you feeling?” Sammy asked. Ben shrugged. 

“I’m fine. My neck has kind of a dull ache, but I can mostly ignore it. How are you?”

Sammy looked down at his shoes. “Nervous,” he said honestly. Ben bumped him with his shoulder. 

“Come on, Sammy. We’ll save him,” Ben whispered. Sammy smiled, grateful. 

“Okay, the train’s boarding now. Grab your stuff, boys,” Emily said, and led them to the train. They took their seats, Ben and Sammy on one side, Emily on the other. 

Ben fell asleep a little while after the train departed, leaning his head on Sammy’s shoulder. Sammy tried to do the same, but he gave up after a bit. He contented himself to watching the sunrise out of Emily’s window, and trying to think of ways their plan wouldn’t fail horribly.

LA was exactly as Sammy remembered it. This wasn’t surprising, of course, because it had only been a few months, even if it felt like lifetimes to Sammy. 

They were meeting up with Emily’s contact in half an hour, so they found a restaurant and scarfed down a quick breakfast. Nobody spoke; each was too consumed with their own anxieties and memorized roles in the plan to focus on making conversation. Ben stood and gathered their garbage, disposing of it. Sammy and Emily thanked him quietly, and he shook his head with a slight smile. 

Then they were walking to the rendezvous point, and Emily turned a corner into an alley. Ben and Sammy followed closely behind. A woman in a leather jacket glanced at them, a cigarette in her mouth. She turned fully, tossing the cigarette on the ground and extinguishing it with the heel of her boot. 

_Holy shit._

“Lily?” Sammy said, his voice scratchy. 

Lily’s eyes widened. “Sammy.”

Emily looked between them, her brow furrowed. “You two know each other?”

Sammy nodded, his eyes still fixed on Lily. 

“Jack’s my brother,” Lily explained lowly, and Ben sucked in a gasp. 

“Oh,” Emily breathed. 

“It’s good to see you,” Sammy said to Lily, stepping towards her. 

She ducked her head and slid her hands into the pockets of her jacket. “Yeah. Yeah, you too,” she replied, meeting his gaze again. 

It had been several years since he’d seen her. Lily had never agreed with Jack’s decision to work for DEI, something Sammy understood but tried to stay out of. The last time the three of them had been together, Lily had told them she wasn’t going to be around much. Her new work required her to make herself scarce. 

That was true, Sammy supposed. And Lily had made herself very scarce indeed. 

“Um… should we-- should we…talk?” Emily asked, her voice uncertain. 

Lily nodded, giving Sammy one last look. Then she motioned for them all to follow her, and began leading them down the alley. She turned, and walked up a few steps to a back door. She shoved it open, and stood aside to let them through. Inside was a dimly lit room with a table and a few chairs. They took their seats, and Lily opened her mouth to speak. 

“Let’s go over the plan again.”

Emily recapped, and everyone affirmed that they understood their roles. Lily handed Emily a few papers, which she took with raised eyebrows. “Paper?” she asked, clearly surprised.

Lily nodded. “Can’t be hacked. If you get caught, rip them up and eat them.” 

Ben turned to Sammy. “Is she joking?” he whispered. 

Sammy shrugged. 

“This is everything you need to know about the layout of the facility. Sammy, I’m assuming you mostly know your way around,” Lily said, and he nodded. “Good. Once you’re inside, go up to the eighth level. That’s where they stick their dirty little secrets,” she muttered darkly. “Jack should be in one of the medical rooms. There’s an elevator designed for carrying medical equipment, that’ll be your way out.”

“Won’t we need a key?” Emily asked.

Lily brandished a keycard. “Already taken care of.” She handed it to Emily, who pocketed it. “You’ll meet me at the entrance to the tunnels. I can’t stay for long, so you’ll have to hurry. Is everybody clear?”

They nodded. 

“Alright. Let’s go.” 

The tunnels Lily was referring to were located on the same street as the Danh-Ell facility. The entrance to them looked like an outlet for a storm drain. The tunnel was wet, as expected. It didn’t smell great, also as expected. They walked in silence, and finally Lily showed them to a ladder, above which was a manhole cover. She climbed through first, then Emily, Sammy, and Ben. 

They were at the rear of the facility. It was a huge building, and Ben whistled, craning his neck to look at its full height. 

Lily handed Emily a thin, silicone glove. “If any of the doors require a handprint, use this.” 

Emily took it and hid it on her person. She removed the papers from her pocket and unfolded them, glancing over them one last time. “Alright, I’m ready,” she said, and Lily nodded. 

Emily, Ben, and Sammy began to walk towards the back door. 

“Sammy,” Lily called. 

He turned. 

“Bring him back,” she said simply. 

“I will,” he promised. The corner of Lily’s mouth twitched up in a smile, though it was gone a second later. Sammy turned back to his companions and steeled himself. He opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over halfway done!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inside DEI.

Finding their way to the eighth level wasn’t difficult. Emily’s papers-- along with Sammy’s memories of the layout-- made avoiding the high-traffic hallways easy, and soon they were stumbling out of the stairwell, their legs burning from climbing eight floors. 

Emily blew out a breath, leaning against the wall. “You guys good to go yet?”

Sammy shook his head. “I’m gonna need a minute,” he panted, and she nodded. 

She withdrew the papers from her pocket. “Looks like the medical suite is this way,” she said, pointing. Ben frowned at the paper over her shoulder. They took a few more moments to study the floorplan, then set off again. 

The eighth floor was mostly unoccupied, and they thankfully didn’t run into anyone. They did, however, have to hide in a nearby office for a minute while a scientist walked by. 

That had been a nerve wracking ninety seconds. 

Emily led them down a corridor and to a round set of doors. Beside them was a handprint scanner, which Emily took care of easily, snapping the silicone glove onto her hand. It opened, and the trio walked inside to the dim room. 

It was illuminated by motion sensors, and several overhead lights flickered on in quick succession. The layout of the room was somewhat like an infirmary, with several empty beds in rows. On either side of the room was a computer station, similar to Sammy’s technician desk. 

Sammy walked quickly up the length of the room, checking every unoccupied bed. There weren’t many, but the fourth one he checked held the man Sammy was hoping so desperately to find. 

“I found him!” he called to Emily, and she and Ben rushed over. Jack was laying on his back, a headset on his face. Electrodes were adhered to his temples and torso, and there were IVs in both his arms. 

“Shit, he’s not in a tank. We can’t just eject him, Sammy. We could give him severe brain damage,” Emily explained, and Sammy let out a shaky breath. 

“What do we do, Em?” Ben asked. 

Emily ran a hand over her face. “We--” she exhaled. “Okay. We’d have to pull him out manually, like-- like leading him home, right? So we need to send someone into the AISR.” 

Ben set his jaw. “I’ll do it,” he volunteered immediately. 

“Ben, no--”

“You can’t do it, Ben,” Emily said, interrupting Sammy. “You just had surgery. Putting in _another_ implant is too dangerous. No, it has to be Sammy.” She turned to him, a question on her face. 

Sammy nodded. “What do you need from me?”

“I need to do an impromptu surgery on you.”

Sammy closed his eyes. “Fuck, okay.”

“Wait, won’t they track him with the C7 implant? Do we have time to put it in _and_ remove it?” Ben frowned. 

Emily shook her head. “We can remove the tracker from the implant before we do the surgery. That we he’ll be able to dive, but DEI won’t be able to track us.”

Emily instructed Sammy to sit on one of the beds while she found an implant. Luckily, in a room like this, there was plenty of surgical equipment. In the distance, she fiddled with a C7 implant, then said a quiet “Aha!” as the tracker was removed. 

Sammy put his hair up, and Ben sterilized the base of his neck while Emily scrubbed in. 

“Alright, the implant is tracker-free and sterile,” Emily said. She walked back to them holding a machine in her hands. It was shaped somewhat like an early 20th century camera, at the tip of which was a laser grid. 

“What the hell is that?” Ben asked, and Sammy eyed it apprehensively. 

“This,” she said, sounding quite pleased with herself, “is going to make my job very easy. Sammy, lay down on your stomach. This won’t take long.” 

Sammy did so, and he reached out a hand for Ben, who grasped his easily. “Nervous?” Ben asked. 

Sammy scoffed. “No,” he lied, and Ben squeezed his hand in a show of comfort. 

“Emily, don’t you need to numb him first?” Ben asked. Sammy couldn’t see Emily, but he heard her shuffle around slightly. 

“No, this’ll take care of that,” she said, and then there was the sound of a light thunk on metal, which Sammy assumed was Emily patting the machine.   
“Alright, Sammy, hold still, this’ll be quick.” 

Sammy swallowed and closed his eyes. He held Ben’s hand tightly and ignored the anxiety squirming in his stomach. 

There was a slight pinprick at the back of his neck, and then Sammy’s eyes slid shut. They opened again, and Emily was knelt beside his bed, shining a light in his face. He frowned at her. “Em, what are you doing? Finish the surgery.”

She smiled. “I did, Sammy. Told you it would be quick,” she replied. She helped him sit up, and he felt the back of his neck. It was covered by a bandage, but even so, he could feel the slight protrusion of the implant under his skin. 

“Now what?” Ben asked, standing to the side with his arms crossed, his mouth set in a grim line. 

“Now,” Emily began. “Sammy goes into the Void.”

To say that being on the other side of preparing for a dive was strange would be an understatement. Sammy felt like he had no idea what to expect, even with Ben informing him of what it was like. Emily would be his dive technician, naturally. She injected him with the standard cocktail, and fitted him for the headset. He wouldn’t be in a tank, he would just be laying on a bed beside Jack, so Emily cautioned him not to fight the AISR. “Go along with it, don’t try to swim against the tide, alright? It might be difficult without the tank, but do your best.”

She continued. “Once you’re in, pay attention to where you are. That’s how you’ll find your way out. You have to bring Jack back to that specific location, and _then_ we can bring you out. And remember, you won’t be--”

“--able to talk to you, I know,” Sammy finished. She squeezed his arm gently. 

“You ready?”

He nodded. 

Emily walked to the computer station. “AISR immersion commencing in five… four…”

“See you soon,” Ben said, giving Sammy’s hand once last squeeze. 

“Three… two… one.”

His awareness of his body, and the world outside of his headset dissolved, and Sammy was lost to the Void.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters after this!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inside the Void.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two in one day again, because I love you <3 (also because it was convenient for me, and there are no rules. Ta!)

The Void was dark.

Sammy probably should have expected that. 

He was standing inside of an elevator, illuminated by what might have been the only light in the entire world, for all he knew. He stepped out, and each step took him further from that beacon of safety and deeper into the unknown. 

_Find Jack._

The actual location was somewhat hard to describe. It was, of course, shrouded in a state of perpetual night. There were a few dilapidated buildings, half fallen and crumbling apart. Thick black vines crept up the ruins, strangling the stones and bricks. 

There was a road leading away from the elevator, deeper into the dark. It was the only road, and it was very likely that at some point, Jack had wandered down this very same street. Sammy took a step forward.

There was a loud popping noise, like a transient spike in a speaker. Sammy turned in the direction of the noise, and in the sky he saw glowing text. 

**SAMMY A(E ?0U 1111111N//**

He frowned. That shouldn’t be happening. Something was interfering with Emily’s messages. That shouldn’t be possible unless for some reason the AISR was programmed incorrectly. 

He continued on, although the hairs on the neck of his neck stood up. 

The Void was fairly quiet. Mostly, he heard the gravel beneath his feet, the wind passing him by. And, occasionally, a distant, eerie howl. 

It felt like hours had passed, even though logically he knew that Emily would have pulled him out if that was the case. There was a small, persistent nagging at the back of his mind that insisted that Emily and Ben had been captured, and the DEI agents had left Sammy inside the Void on purpose. 

But he couldn’t afford to listen to that. He had to keep moving. 

The good thing about being inside of a simulation was that his body didn’t hurt from hours of walking. His lungs didn’t sting, and there was no burn in his muscles at all. 

The bad thing about being inside of a simulation was… literally _everything else._

After hours of boredom and repetitive motion, the desolate cityscape faded away to forest. Sammy would have appreciated the change of scenery if the woods didn’t seem so much more sinister and ominous than the ruins had. 

His shoe caught on a root, and Sammy tumbled forward, his hands going out in front of him just in time to prevent himself from face-planting. He sighed, relieved, and sat back on his heels, rubbing his hands together to clear them of dirt. He looked out at the path in front of him, and his eyes focused on an indentation in the dirt.

A footstep. Men’s size eleven.

Jack’s size.

Sammy scrambled to his feet and started running. He followed the footsteps for miles, his pace never faltering. Along with the sounds of his feet thudding against the ground, and the air as it rushed past his ears, Sammy also heard the same eerie howling from before, though it seemed louder.

Or, as Sammy was trying not to consider, _closer._

He didn’t stop running.

The howls continued, and Sammy knew they were definitely louder. Whatever simulated beast was making those sounds seemed to be pursuing Sammy, a thought which made his blood turn cold. Still, he couldn’t allow himself to be consumed by fear. He had to get to Jack.

In addition to the ever decreasing distance between Sammy and the source of the howling, Sammy also began to hear the heavy thudding of footsteps not his own. They continued to come closer. Sammy continued to run away.

Sammy didn’t dare to turn around and look at his pursuer; he couldn’t risk it catching up to him.   
(He had no idea what would happen if it caught him, but it seemed like the kind of thing he should avoid, anyway.)

Especially given the fact that there was beginning to be a definite ache in his muscles, a burning in his lungs. He was starting to feel pain again. Whether that was due to his pursuer or the amount of time he’d spent in the Void, he couldn’t say. All he knew was that his time table had just been moved up, and he needed to find Jack as quickly as he could.

Trying to out-think his pain did nothing, unfortunately. No matter how many times he repeated “this isn’t real” in his head, it didn’t change the stabbing pain in his side. It didn’t matter that the pain was programmed into the AISR. He did his best to set it aside. For Jack. 

The beast that chased him seemed to pick up speed, or else Sammy had started to lag. He willed himself one last burst of energy, even as his body was on the brink of collapse. The trees that lined his path fell away into a wide clearing, in the center of which stood an old shack.

Sammy didn’t even think, he just bolted for the door and shut it behind him, breathing heavy. He slid to his knees on the dirt floor, his forehead thudding against the door. It was just wood; there was no reason the beast couldn’t tear it down with ease. 

Sammy held his breath, listening intently. There was no pacing, no growls or howls, no sounds at all. 

That is, until there was a heaving, shuddering breath from behind him, and Sammy whipped around to see a shape huddled in the corner of the shack. Sammy swallowed.

“J-Jack?” He breathed. 

The shape whimpered.

Sammy reached out a hand, and gently rested it on the shape. It moved, and Sammy saw Jack’s face staring back at him.

He was dirty, and pale, and sallow. Sammy reached for him, and Jack seemed to finally understand who it was that he was looking at.

“Sammy?” He said, his breath stuttering. 

Sammy just nodded, and Jack let out a relieved sigh, and clutched at Sammy. Sammy allowed himself a moment or two to just be with Jack, to revel in the relief of finding him. Then he pulled away, his hand on Jack’s face. 

“We have to go, Jack. I’m getting you out of here.”

Jack nodded, although it seemed like he didn’t entirely grasp what was happening. Still, he held Sammy’s hand tightly as they stood. Sammy listened at the door for any signs of the beast.

“Does it hurt?” Jack asked. 

Sammy frowned. “Does what hurt?”

“Anything. Your body.”

Sammy took a moment to assess himself. “No,” he said, surprised. 

“Then it’s gone. We’re clear.” 

Sammy didn’t bother asking how Jack knew. He was sure, and that was good enough for Sammy. They threw the rickety door open and left the shack, taking steady, unburdened steps towards the beacon.

That spiking noise came back, and Sammy felt Jack jump. He scanned the forest around him, searching for any message from Emily. Jack pointed to a tree close by. A single word was carved in the bark.

**HURRY**

They started to run.

The forest seemed to pass faster than it had when Sammy had come this way, which Jack assured him was normal.

“This place shifts. It makes it difficult to map out. I guess it’s working out in our favor, for once,” Jack remarked. Sammy didn’t reply, just kept his grip firm on Jack’s hand and continued on. 

Soon, the elevator’s beacon shone out across the city. Sammy was bolstered by its light, feeble as it was in the thick darkness. They continued on, until finally they reached the elevator. 

“Sammy, how do we get out-- there’s no buttons,” Jack asked, panic creeping into his voice. 

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it,” Sammy replied, and began to breathe in quick, short gasps. Jack looked at him, concerned, but Sammy didn’t stop to assure him. They didn’t have time. He kept hyperventilating, and soon enough he felt a tugging on the back of his mind, an incessant itch he couldn’t scratch.

The elevator doors opened with a ding, and Jack and Sammy practically fell inside. 

“How’d you know to do that?” Jack asked. 

“It’s the signal we agreed on,” Sammy said, making a vague gesture between himself and the ceiling of the elevator, which had begun to ascend. “If you hyperventilate in an AISR, it affects your body outside of the simulation. It’s the only way to change your physical body while inside, remember?”

Jack shook his head, but it didn’t matter. They were leaving. Emily would pull them out, and then she, Ben, Jack, and Sammy would all leave DEI, and be done with that hellish company for good.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion of their mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time isn't real. Post the last three chapters at the same time. It doesn't even matter. Impulse control? Never met the woman in my life cheers m8

Sammy’s body convulsed as he came back to himself. He gasped for air, his muscles tense. He fumbled around, attempting to remove the headset from his face.

Emily’s cool hands found his, and she gently placed them on his chest, stalling his panic in its tracks. She removed the headset and smiled down at him. 

“Welcome back,” she said softly. Ben grinned at him from around her shoulder, then nodded pointedly to the bed beside his. 

Sammy’s heart leapt in his throat and he turned his head. 

Jack looked back, his chest heaving, his eyes a bit unfocused, but safe.

Alive. 

Sammy reached out a clammy palm, and Jack took it easily, intertwining the fingers in the space between their cots.

“Jack? I’m Dr. Emily Potter, this is Ben Arnold. We need to get you out of here.” Her tone was kind, but it left no room for argument. Ben helped Jack sit, his body unsteady from months of unconsciousness. 

Jack wiped his hand across his face. “How—um, how long was I…” He struggled for a word. 

“Lost?” Ben offered, and Jack nodded, swallowing thickly. 

“Months,” Sammy whispered hoarsely, and Jack looked at him, heartbroken. Sammy took a shaky step and bridged the distance between them, sitting beside Jack and taking him in his arms. 

When Jack pulled away, he was crying, and Sammy couldn’t deny the wetness on his own cheeks. “Sorry,” Jack mumbled, and Sammy shook his head, thumbing away the tear tracks on Jack’s face. 

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Sammy said, and Jack took a deep breath, composing himself.

Sammy felt Emily’s hand on his shoulder. “We have to go, Sammy,” she repeated. He nodded, and helped Jack stand. Jack’s arm was across Sammy’s shoulders, and Sammy braced Jack with an arm around Jack’s waist.

“Wait, what about Jack’s C7 implant? Won’t DEI be able to track us?”

Emily shook her head. “Jack’s implant is broken. If it wasn’t, Jack would’ve been able to make his own way out of the AISR. But they also would have been able to track us, so…”

“Pros and cons,” Jack finished, and Emily laughed. 

They were a strange sight, the four of them hiding around corners and ducking inside offices. Somehow, they made it out of the building without being discovered, and eventually came upon the rendezvous point. 

Jack frowned at the figure standing silhouetted against the sunlight— a stark contrast to the dim fluorescents that lit the tunnels. She turned at the noise of their approach, and Sammy grinned as her posture changed.

She stepped into the tunnels, her features becoming clearer. 

“Lily?” Jack asked breathlessly, and she ran to him, enveloping him in a tight embrace. Her face was buried in his shoulder, and Jack wrapped his free arm around her, clutching at the fabric of her jacket for dear life. 

Sammy could tell that Emily was getting antsy. She kept glancing back in the direction they had come from, worrying her lip between her teeth. He allowed the siblings a few more moments, then tapped Lily’s shoulder.

“Sorry to interrupt, but we need to go. We’re not out of the woods yet,” he said by way of explanation.

Lily nodded, her expression morphing into one of focus. She led them out of the tunnels and to a van. They five of them climbed inside with Lily driving, and she led them away from Danh-Ell, away from Los Angeles, and towards something new. Something bright. 

“Wake up, Sammy, we’re here,” Ben said, his hand on Sammy’s shoulder. Sammy blinked against the sunlight, shaking his head slightly. Jack was rousing beside him, rubbing his eyes.

Slowly, he unclipped his seatbelt and climbed out of the van. Lily and Emily were standing a few feet away, talking quietly. Ben was looking at him expectantly.

“What?” Sammy said, self-conscious, and still sleepy. 

Ben shrugged, an awkward smile on his face. “I don’t know,” he replied. “I mean, you’ve got Jack, you’re free from the corporation that’s been ruling your life for a decade. How do you feel?”

Sammy twisted his neck until it popped. “Kinda sore,” he answered, and Ben laughed and clapped a hand on Sammy’s shoulder. Jack emerged from the van, shielding his face from the sunlight with his hand. 

“Hey, Lil?” he called, and she turned. “Where are we?”

She grinned. “Nebraska.”

Jack’s hand fell to his side and he glowered. “Oh, fuck you,” he said, although there was no heat behind his words. 

“What’s wrong with Nebraska?” Emily asked, amused. 

“He hates it,” Lily responded smugly. “It’s his least favorite state.”

Jack sighed. “It’s just so fucking… in the middle. It’s stupid.” 

Sammy chuckled, which Jack noticed. He winked at Sammy, so quick he almost missed it. Sammy was pretty sure his cheeks were flushed, which was dumb, because he was not fifteen years old anymore. 

Jack wrapped an arm around Sammy as the group walked down the trail. Lily claimed it led to a safehouse, though Sammy wasn’t paying very much attention. He was mostly focused on playing a juvenile game with Ben and Jack where they tried to trip each other.

Lily hadn’t been lying about the safehouse, not that Sammy suspected she had been. It was a two-story log cabin home with a sizable porch, built with warm wood and wide windows. 

Ben bounded up the steps with all the energy of a golden retriever or some other comparable pure creature. A baby goat, maybe. In either case, he was a spring filled with potential energy, and Sammy had a brief premonition of Ben accidentally breaking some sort of lamp or vase. 

Emily was almost as excited, though she hid it better. Sammy would’ve been fooled if he didn’t know her as well as he did. He caught her eye, and she shot him a grin.

“I know this is a very serious situation and we are technically in a lot of danger… but I haven’t been on a vacation in _so_ long,” she breathed, and Sammy laughed.

“Enjoy it, Em. You’ve earned it,” he said sincerely, and she looked at him with an almost bittersweet affection. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then ran up to join Ben in his explorations of the house.

Lily and Jack went to the kitchen to see what there was to eat, which left Sammy by his lonesome. He sighed, enjoying the clean, fresh air. 

Sammy leaned against the railing of the porch, gazing out into the forest. He could imagine waking up early and drinking coffee with Emily, sitting on that porch. 

Or fighting with Lily over who gets to control the entertainment set. Or throwing grapes at Ben in the kitchen, and cheering everytime he catches one with his mouth. 

And through it all, there would be Jack, by his side. Like he was supposed to be, all along. That was the promise they made, wasn’t it? 

Sammy would be damned if he was going to let anyone take Jack away from him again, if he was going to let anyone take any of them away from him. 

Sammy scrubbed his face with his hands. There was a nightmarish legal battle to be had against Danh-Ell, new legislation to be drafted by— someone, he guessed. An official investigation. Trials, convictions. 

But Sammy’s part was done. He could rest, now. 

Sammy walked inside and took a seat at the kitchen island. Jack and Lily were taking turns scarfing down chips and spoonfuls of a room-temperature can of baked beans. Jack looked at Sammy with a beany grin. 

For the first time in years, Sammy could envision his future without fear. He was free to do as he pleased. 

Sammy grabbed the beans from Jack and took a spoonful. Then, he smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It occurred to me as i was editing this chapter that technically, Jack has been shirtless since chapter 6. So he's just been sneaking around DEI, wandering through secret tunnels, sleeping in a van for several hours, all while shirtless. So. There's that. I could have fixed it, but I think it's better this way. It was a tiddies-out kind of escape, anyways.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! So: I know the worldbuilding is kind of a thing here, so please let me know if there's anything you're confused about and I'll do my best to give a spoiler-free answer :)
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Comments and kudos do fuel my disgusting little writer brain, of course. I have this all written, I just need to edit and post the other chapters, which I will probably do over the next week. I hope you liked it!


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